Foot-rest for blacking-boxes.



. No. 742,139." PATENTBD 0GT.20,1903.

V L. E. TUCKER.

FOOT REST FOR BLAGKIN G BOXES.

APPLIUATION TILED Arm-1a, 1903.

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UNITED 1 STATES Patented October 20, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

LOUIS EMMET TUCKER, 'OF PETERSBURG, VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR TO JAMES M. TALIAFERRO, OF PETERSBURG, VIRGINIA.

FOOT-REST FOR BLACKlNG-BOXES.

SPECIFIGA'I'lON forming part of Letters Patent No. 742,138, dated October 20, 1903.

Application filed April 13. 1903. $erialNo. 152,381. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I,LoUIs EMMET TUCKER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Petersburg, in the countyof Dinwiddie, State of Virginia, have invented certain new and usetul Improvements in Foot-Rests for Blacking-Boxes and I do hereby declare the following tobe a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to foot-rests for blacking-boxes; and it has for its object to provide a rest in the nature of a boot or shoe clamp which will hold the foot securely in place, which may be easily and quickly operated, and which may be locked'in open position ready to receive the foot or shoe.

A further object of the invention is to provlde an improved construction by means of which a boot or shoe may be held securely while being blackened and while the boot or shoe is removed from the foot.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be understood from the following description. 1

In the drawings forming a portion of this specification, and in which like numerals of reference indicate similar parts in the several views, Figure 1 is a perspective View showing the rest with a shoe held thereon. Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken longitudinally through the rest with the jaws set ready to receive the shoe-sole. Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view with the jaws in clamping positions. Fig. 4 is a plan view of the blank from which the body portion of the rest is formed.

Referring now to the drawings, the present foot rest comprises a body portion 5, formed of a sheet-metal blank having substantially the shape of the sole of a shoe, and the rear portion of this blank is bent downwardly and then rearwardly to form the vertical wall -6, against which the front of the heel of the shoe rests, and the horizontal rearwardly=extending portion 7 upon which the heel of the shoe is received, it being understood that the sole of the shoe is received upon the forward portion of the body 5,which latter is concaved slightly to correspond to the general curvature of the shoe-sole. At

the sides of the forward portion of the body are depending ears 8 and 9, which are formed by slitting the sides of the body transversely, as shown at 10, and bending the portions between the slits downwardly at right angles, said portions between the slits being provided with longitudinal slots 11- before they are bent downwardly to form guides for the clamping arms. The clamping arms are shown at 12 and 13 and are of arc shape and are pivotally connected at-their forward ends, said arms lying beneath the body portion 5 and extending rearwardly of the body portion and divergently from their pivot through the slots 11 of the ears and beyond the side edges of the body, where their extremities are bent upwardly to form fingers 14 and 15, having their tips bent toward each other to engage over the shoe-sole,which is disposed upon the body portion 5 between the fingers, as illustrated. To move the clamping-arms into and out of clamping positions, a clampingrod 16 is provided and is slidably mounted in the depending ears 17 and 18 at the under side of the body portion 5, the rod being preferably angular in cross section to prevent rotation thereof. The rivet l9,which pivotally connects the forward ends of the clamping-arms, connects also pivotally with the rod 16, so that as the rod is reciprocated the arms will be correspondingly moved in the slots 11, so that the clamping fingers Will be moved toward each other in a forward direction or away from each other in a rearward direction corresponding to the movement of the rod. Depending from the under side of the body portion 5 is a third ear 20, through which the rod 16 is also slidably passed, and upon the rod between ear 20 and the rear ear 17 is wound a helical spring 21, which rests with one end against the ear 17 and with its opposite end againsta cross-bar 22, engaged transversely through the rod. The action of this helical spring is to hold the rod normally and yieldably at the forwardlimit of its movement with the crossbar or stop against the ear 20, so that when the rod 16 is pressed rearwardly to separate the clamping-fingers the spring will be placed under tension and when the rod is released the spring will move it forwardly to draw the clamping-fingers toward each other to grip and hold the shoe-sole against the body portion 5 of the support or rest. As the clamping-fingers move forwardly as they move toward each other, they serve to draw the heel of the shoe close against the wall 6 and between the rearwardly-directed wings at the ends of the wall, these wings being converged forwardly, so that the heel of the shoe will be held against lateral displacement. To hold the clamping fingers in spaced relation or at their outer limits of movement preparatory to receiving the shoe-sole, the bar 16 is provided with notches 2e and 25 in its upper and lower faces, respectively, and the bar has snfficient vertical play at its forward end to permit of movement thereof in either direction to engage the corresponding portion of the ear 18 in a notch of the rod. After the shoe-soleis properly positioned upon the body portion 5 the rod 16 is moved vertically to disengage the ear from its notch,when the helical spring above referred to forces the rod violently to the front and engages the clamping-fingers with the side edges of the shoe-sole. To facilitate manipulation of the rod, it is provided with a knob 25 at its forward end, and to prevent the clamping-fingers from marring the edges of the shoe-sole said fingers are provided with pads 26 on their clamping-faces.

The plate issnpported upon a suitable base or box through the medium of legs 27, which may be in the form of ai'igle-irons riveted to the plate and attached by screws or other suitable means to the base.

It will be understood that in practice modifications of the specific construction shown may be made and that any suitable materials and proportions may be used for the various parts without departing from the spirit of the invention.

hat is claimed is 1. A f0ot-rest comprising a supportingplate, clamping-fingers mounted at the sides of the plate for convergent movement forwardly of the plate, means connected with the fingers for moving them simultaneously toward or away from each other, and a tension device connected with said moving means and disposed to hold the latter with the fingers normally at the limits of their move ments toward each other.

2. A footrest comprising a supportingplate, clamping-arms slidably engaged with the plate and having upwardly directed clamping-fingers at the sides of the plate, said arms being movable to carry the fingers toward each other and forwardly of the plate or away from each other and rearwardly of the plate, a rod slidably mounted beneath the plate and with which the arms are pivotally connected for movement thereby, and a helical spring mounted upon the rod and dis posed to hold the latter yieldably with the clam ping-fi ngers toward each other.

A footrest comprising a supportingplate, having depending perforated cars, a rod slidably mounted in the perforations of the ears, additional depending ears at the sides of the plate having slots therethrongh, clamping-armsslidably engaged in the slots, said arms having their-outer ends turned upwardly at the sides of the plate and having their opposite ends pivoted to the rod in advance of the slotted cars, a helical spring oncircling the rod and disposed to hold the latter with the outerends of the clamping-arms in maximum spaced relation, the rear portion of the plate being bent downwardly and then rearwardly to form a vertical wall and a heel-supporting portion, and wings at the ends of said Vertical wall diverging rearwardly, the rod being notched to receive an car when the spring is under tension.

in testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

LOUIS EMMET TUCKER.

Witnesses ROBERT G. Bass, J12, JAMES M. TALIAFERRO. 

